6 US men detained in Honduras for weeks

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department has confirmed that six American men who were aboard a ship have been detained in Honduras since May 5.

The department said Friday that the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa has been closely monitoring the case of the captain and crew of the Aqua Quest. It said U.S. consular officials visited the crew on May 19.

A press release posted on Aqua Quest's Facebook page says Capt. Robert Mayne and five members of his crew were detained in Puerto Lempira, Honduras.

It says the team arrived there to work on a project to aid "the struggling peoples" in the Municipality of Ahuas.

It added the men were ordered detained for firearms violations "on the false claim that a weapon they were carrying was an AK-47."